Mentor Program

Approximately 12 second-year MBA students are chosen to
participate in the UB MBA Mentor Program.

Team mentoring is a 3-credit elective course offered to a select
group of full-time MBA students in the fall semester of their
second year. Each student admitted to the course assumes the role
of mentor/facilitator to first-semester MBA student teams. A mentor
is one who has knowledge and experience in an area and shares
that knowledge with a relative novice. Mentors offer support,
encouragement, feedback, inspiration and practical advice that
facilitates the first-year student's transition from that of
an individual contributor to a fully functioning team member and/or
leader. A team mentor’s primary role is to help team members
examine their work process by assisting their identification of
behaviors that enhance team functioning, and by providing guidance
with respect to those that may impede it.

The course provides second-year students with practical
experience in observing internal team processes and coaching
others. Readings, presentations, discussions and activities provide
a foundation for enhancing mentors’ coaching skills. This
experience also provides a resource for the first-semester MBA
teams, better enabling students to derive the greatest value from
their MBA team experience.

Read what the mentors have to say:

"Being a mentor to the class of 2011 in UB’s MBA program
provided me with the unique experience and opportunity to assist
first year students, refine their team skills and become strong
players in an increasingly team-oriented society. I loved
frequently interacting with my teams and getting to know each
individual on a more personal level to identify their strengths and
weaknesses as well as how they interact with others. The mentor
program helped me better understand team dynamics and effective
methods for providing feedback and advice.

I highly suggest that students who have the opportunity to be a
mentor take it. I have gained valuable knowledge that will
benefit me significantly in my career and had a lot of fun while
doing it!"

Sarah Oliver
MBA Class of 2010 and mentor

"As a first year student you often think that your team is the
only one with internal issues and that the rest of the teams are
performing well, which is clearly not the case. Serving as a mentor
allowed me not only to help improve team dynamic [among
my assigned teams], but also to obtain a personal new perspective
in regards to what it truly means to be a teammate."

Daphne Shtarker
MBA Class of 2010 and mentor

"The program has taught me valuable mentoring techniques that I
can apply by facilitating team interactions among the first-year
MBA students. I believe that these skills will enable me to become
an effective manager in the future. I am glad to contribute back to
the school through this program."

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Read what the mentees have to say:

"Mentors in the MBA program truly abide by what Ghandi said, 'Be
the change you want to see in the world.' The mentors understand
our challenges since they have recently experienced the first year
of the program. The mentors are easily approachable with all of our
issues, large and small.”